* * *

“I think Xing is going to strike now,” Keita said. And she sounded so confident that Brannie almost took her at her word, but she was her mother’s daughter. She still had to ask the question.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because the time is right. In fact, the time is perfect.”

Not really liking the sound of that at all because it was just so vague, Brannie sort of growled in the back of her throat. A reaction that Izzy would understand immediately. Sadly Keita didn’t understand much about Brannie and she didn’t seem too interested in finding out.

“Look, I think I was to be the first. A message to Xinyi to tell her how far they’d go.”

“But you weren’t the first, Keita. Ren was the first, which was stupid. They should have held him for ransom.” Brannie motioned to Batu. “Wouldn’t you have held the Empress’s son for ransom?”

“I would have held dragon over mother’s head, sending her pieces of him, until I got what I wanted and then I would kill him in front of her eyes, so I could see her suffering.” He shrugged. “That is how we do it.”

“That was a lovely story, Great Leader. Thank you.” Brannie turned back to her cousin, widening her eyes to suggest to her kin they might want to burn the tribal territories to the ground, but Keita was gazing past Brannie.

“Keita? Are you okay?”

“It was . . .” She took in a breath. “You were right, Brannie! You were right, we have to go!”

“Go? Go where?”

Keita turned to Batu with sudden urgency. “You need to go to the Empress’s palace. Now.”

“To do what? Fight for decadent imperialist dog?”

“Fight with the imperialist dog.”

“You must be mad.”

“Hardly. Trust me. You want free rein to raid the rich and plentiful cities outside the Empress’s domain? You’ll do this, Batu the Iron Hearted.”

“And what will you be doing while my people fight with imperialist Empress?”

Keita grinned. “Something completely insane.” She motioned to Brannie. “Come on, cousin! You’re with me.”

She lifted her skirts and ran out of the tent, expecting Brannie to follow right behind her.

Batu and the other tribal leaders watched her, waiting for Brannie to make her move.

“She’s my cousin,” Brannie said, by way of explanation. “And I promised me mum to take care of her. No matter what.”

“Your mother, Branwen the Awful, is very cruel to you,” Batu said sadly.

“Branwen!” Keita bellowed through the tent flap. “Move your fat ass!”

Brannie briefly closed her eyes and let out a long breath. Batu came over to her side and put his arm around her shoulders.

“Do not worry, mighty Branwen. Crazed female like her . . . she can only live so long. Then you will be free.”

* * *

Annwyl stopped walking and stared. The herd of demon animals stared back. And that’s when she knew.

“I’ve been walking in circles.” Her head dropped and she let out a shuddering breath. “I’m never getting out of here.”

Something sniffed her and Annwyl lifted her gaze to see the baby animal she’d petted earlier. He pressed his slimy—and quite honestly disgusting—snout against her. Like he was trying to comfort her. It was very sweet and, while the mother watched her attentively from a distance, Annwyl stroked her hand down his snout.

She kept doing it too, because it soothed her. It calmed the voices she’d been hearing in her head while she was wandering around here, seemingly unable to block them out. Petting her new friend seemed to help for a little while.

That was until she heard that voice. Right behind her and taunting, just as always. Because some things would never change.

“I heard you turned into a whore,” the voice said. “Just like your mother.”

Annwyl closed her eyes and pressed her fists against her temples. “No. I don’t hear you. I don’t hear you. I don’t hear you. You’re in my head. You’re in my head.”

The voice spoke again, laughing at her. “Stop being a dumb little twat. Turn around and face me! Face us.”

Annwyl did turn around. Taking her time, keeping her eyes closed at first. Afraid of the game her cruel mind was playing on her.

Gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes and lifted her head. And there he stood.

Gray-green eyes. Light brown hair with blond streaks. And his throat open where it had been cut the day he’d died.

“No. Not you,” she begged her mind. “Anyone but you.”

The image of her father smiled. “I’ve been waiting a long time to see you again. Although I can’t say it’s just been me.” He gestured behind him to the hundreds of men Annwyl had cut down over the years. “We’ve all been waiting for you.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Short on time, Brannie and Keita didn’t bother with horses. They simply shifted to dragon and flew to Lord Xing’s palace.

Brannie took the lead, landing hard in the middle of the courtyard, swinging her halberd as soon as her claws touched the ground. She struck several guards and went for more, using her weapon to hack and slash her way through those protecting the palace.

Keita landed behind other guards and quickly, expertly, cut their throats before they even knew she was there.

Guards inside the palace attempted to close the door but Brannie rammed her shoulder against it, forcing them back.

“Mistress Yeow!” Keita greeted the She-dragon scrambling across the main hall in an attempt to get away. “I strongly suggest you take your offspring and leave this place. And pray to your gods that the Empress does not hold against you what your mate has done.”

“This is my home,” the She-dragon said, although Brannie could hear the fear in her voice. “I will not leave.”

“Then my cousin will hack you into pieces.”

No. She wouldn’t. But it was fine for Mistress Yeow to believe that if it made her leave.

“Do you want your offspring to witness that, Mistress? Do you want the same thing to happen to them?”

Horrified, Mistress Yeow ran up the large stairs toward the rooms of her offspring, Brannie assumed.

“Great,” Brannie snapped at her cousin. “Now you’re making me out to be a baby killer?”

“Oh, they’re hardly babies! Now, come on!”

Keita shifted to human and ran down a corridor, snatching up a silk robe from several hung on a wooden stand.

Brannie shifted and followed her. They reached a door and went down a long set of stairs to the dungeon.

Unlike the dungeon at the Zealot fort, there was only one captive, trapped in a gold cage, with a rune-covered gold torc around his neck.

“Ren!”

Ren of the Chosen jumped to his feet and broke into a smile so wide and beautiful it nearly blinded Brannie with its joy.

“Keita!”

The pair hugged through the gold bars.

“You’re alive!”

“You thought I was dead?”

“I found your sigil chain at a Zealots fort and the Riders said that you had been there with them—”

“Gods, so much Zoya.” Ren suddenly pulled back from Keita, staring down into her face. “You came east to kill my family, didn’t you?”

“I thought you were dead!”

“That’s your excuse?”

“You would have done the same if the situation were reversed.”

“I wouldn’t have to. Your mother adores me.” He looked at Brannie. “And how did you get here?”

Brannie stretched her neck, trying to loosen the tight muscles. “How do you think?”

“Oh, ignore her. She’s been so difficult lately.” Keita moved back from the bars. “We need to get him out,” she said to Brannie.

“Why haven’t you gotten yourself out?” Brannie had to ask.

Ren pointed at the gold torc. “This is magickal. It’s kept me in human form and my magickal skills quite weak. I’ve been trapped like this for ages.”

Brannie looked over the cage door. “You best step back.”